NY's Poster House Reopens with Amos Kennedy Exhibit

The Poster House was the last place I visited before New York enacted its statewide stay-at-home order back in March. I trekked down to SoHo via an eerily empty Metro North and the subway to catch a glimpse of The Sleeping Giant, an exhibition dedicated to exploring China's economic progress through poster design. (That show is still on display through February 2021.)

Though the museum closed its doors on March 10, Poster House launched a citywide public health campaign in coordination with PRINT Magazine, Times Square Arts, and For Freedoms artist collective aimed at encouraging mask wearing and proper hygiene. More than 1,800 billboards across New York were emblazoned with calls for solidarity and words of gratitude to frontline workers, providing a much-needed morale boost for a city that was once the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

On September 27, Poster House announced it was reopening on a limited schedule and with timed tickets available in advance via the museum's new online ticket portal. In an effort to promote social distancing while welcoming visitors back, the lobby has been repurposed into a mini-exhibition space, which is were you'll find The Letterpress Posters of Amos Kennedy. Featuring works culled from the permanent collection, this show explores why the Detroit-based Kennedy (featured in our summer 2012 issue) is considered one of the most important letterpress printers practicing today, with the posters on display highlighting the advertisement of Black cultural events in the rural South. And, if you're like me and still not trekking anywhere anytime soon, be sure to register for Poster House's free virtual Q&A with the artist on December 1.